Arangetram (in Tamil and in Malayalam, known as "Rangapravesha" in Kannada and "Rangapravesham" in Telugu) is the debut on-stage performance of a former student of Indian classical dance and music that follows years of training in classical music and dancing. Many Indian classical dance forms require their followers to perform an arangetram. Once a student has done so, they are thereafter allowed to perform dances on their own and to teach aspiring dancers.
Arangetram is a portmanteau of the Tamil words for stage ("arangu") and ascent ("etram") and its literal translation is "climbing or ascending the stage". In the context of dance, the word refers to the graduation ceremony in which the guru presents his or her pupil to the public. [1] Its origins can be traced to the devdasi (temple dancer) tradition. [2] Arangetram can be performed for other Indian classical dance styles such as Kathak, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and Mohiniattam as well as vocal and instrument recitals like Mridangam, ghatam, and violin.[ citation needed ]
Bharatanatyam is an Indian classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism and in general of Hinduism.
Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for different regionally-specific Indian classical dance traditions, rooted in predominantly Hindu musical theatre performance, the theory and practice of which can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The number of Indian classical dance styles ranges from six to eight to twelve, or more, depending on the source and scholar; the main organisation for Indian arts preservation, the Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Additionally, the Indian Ministry of Culture includes Chhau in its list, recognising nine total styles. Scholars such as Drid Williams add Chhau, Yakshagana and Bhagavata Mela to the list. Each dance tradition originates and comes from a different state and/or region of India; for example, Bharatanatyam is from Tamil Nadu in the south of India, Odissi is from the east coast state of Odisha, and Manipuri is from the northeastern state of Manipur. The music associated with these different dance performances consists many compositions in Hindi, Malayalam, Meitei (Manipuri), Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Telugu, and many other Indian-Subcontinent languages; they represent a unity of core ideas, and a diversity of styles, costumes and expression.
Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local traditions and also imbibed elements from other parts of the country.
The culture of Chennai, popularly called the "Gateway to the South India", is distinct from that of any other Indian city. Being a cosmopolitan hub, the city's culture reflects its diverse population that has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern metropolis, Chennai continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a peculiar cultural blend in city, from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises, and from classical music and dance to the growing nightlife.
Swarnamalya Ganesh is an Indian dancer, actress, Model and TV anchor.
Neila Sathyalingam was a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974. In 1977 she and her husband founded the performance arts company Apsaras Arts, which has staged performances throughout the world. She was the company's artistic director and continued to teach dance.
Dance forms of Tamil Nadu elaborates the various dance forms originated and practiced in the Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of the India. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, who speak Tamil language, one of the oldest surviving languages with archaeological evidence pointing to the Tamilakam region being inhabited for more than 400 millennia and more than 5,500 years of continuous cultural history. Hence, culture have seen multiple influences over the years and have developed diversely. With its diverse culture, many forms of individual and group dances have their origins in the region and are practiced.
Chitra Visweswaran is an Indian Bharata Natyam dancer who runs a dance school, the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, in Chennai.
Radha Viswanathan was an Indian carnatic vocalist and classical dancer. She was daughter of highly acclaimed Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi.
Smitha Rajan is an Indian Mohiniyattam performer from Kerala and granddaughter of the Indian classical dancers Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma.
Alarmel Valli is an Indian classical dancer and Bharatanatyam-Pandanallur choreographer.
Joyce Kakariyil Paul is a Bharatanatyam dancer, exercise physiologist, and anthropologist from India. Classically trained in Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra, she is known for her technical acumen, rigour, and precision. Paul had her initial dance training under Padmashri Leela Samson and further training under Prof C.V. Chandrasekhar and Janardhanan Sir among others. She has trained in Mohiniattam, the classical dance of Kerala. In 2003, she founded Arpan Performing Arts, an organization dedicated to promoting the folk and classical traditions of India, where she currently serves as its creative director.
Kalanidhi Narayanan was an Indian dancer and teacher of Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, who was the early non-devadasi girl to learn the dance form and perform it on stage in the 1930s and 1940s. After a brief career in the 1940s, she returned to dance in 1973 and became a notable teacher of abhinaya.
Rathi is an Indian former actress, who appeared mostly in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.
Savitha Sastry is an Indian dancer and choreographer best known as an exponent of Bharatanatyam. She is known to experiment with the format of traditional Bharatanatyam by using the techniques of Bharatanatyam to showcase theme-based productions based on novel stories, not based on Indian mythology or religion. Her innovations have been described as 'path breaking' by critics. and she is considered to be a 'renaissance architect' who 'holds the distinction of being the dancer to have brought out a revolution in the way Bharatanatyam is presented after Rukmini Devi Arundale'.
Murugashankari Leo is a Bharatanatyam artiste and teacher, theatre actor, and research scholar. Bharatantyam is an ancient Indian classical dance form which is known for its beauty, grace and uniqueness. Murugashankari performs this art and has given many recitals across India and other countries. She runs the institution Kalai Koodam – Academy of Performing Arts in Chennai and Madurai, where training in Bharatanatyam is imparted. She is also trained in Carnatic music and Nattuvangam.
Rekha Raju is an Indian classical dance performer and teacher from Bangalore, Karnataka. She specialises in the Bharatnatyam and Mohiniyattam dance forms.
Meenakshi Chitharanjan, an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, is known as an exponent of the Pandanallur style of the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. She is the founder of Kaladiksha, an institution promoting Bharatanatyam and striving to preserve the Pandanallur tradition. A disciple of the father-son duo of Chokkalingam Pillai and Subbaraya Pillai, she is a recipient of several honours including Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Natya Kala Sarathi of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2008, for her contributions to classical dance.
Arangetram may refer to:
R Muthukannammal is a seventh generation veteran Sadir dancer from the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. She is the only surviving person among the 32 Devadasis who served the deity at the Viralimalai Murugan temple and she is the last woman to have the ceremony pottukkattutal of dedicating oneself to God performed at the Viralimalai temple. In the year 2022, Govt of India honoured Muthukannammal by conferring the Padma Shri award for her contributions in the field of art. The dance form Sadir, variously called as Sadiraattam or Parathaiyar Aattam or Thevarattam, is a classical Indian dance from which was reinvented, modified and rechristened as Bharatanatyam through the efforts of E Krishna Iyer in 1932. However, Muthukannammal has chosen to call her art form Sadir, making her the only Sadir exponent today.